


Wild Dreams and Wanderers

by draconicsockpuppet



Series: Wild Wings and Hearts [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Finds Out, Dragons, M/M, Merlin Leaves Camelot (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:20:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25164580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/draconicsockpuppet/pseuds/draconicsockpuppet
Summary: Arthur finally notices Aithusa is living in Gaius's chambers. It goes about as well as Gwaine expected.
Relationships: Aithusa & Gwaine (Merlin), Gwaine/Merlin (Merlin)
Series: Wild Wings and Hearts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822999
Comments: 15
Kudos: 188
Collections: Chill Summer Exchange 2020





	Wild Dreams and Wanderers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anecdotalist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anecdotalist/gifts).



Unfortunately, dragons do not stay small forever, and while hiding a dragon the size of a dog in Merlin's little garret was reasonable, hiding a dragon the size of a horse was not. Still, they made do.

"Merlin!"

Gwaine rolled over and threw one flattened pillow over his face. "Five more minutes, mum."

"It's not you he's calling," Merlin said beside him as he struggled into his trousers. "Blast! Why did the prat have to come here so early?"

"Da!" came Aithusa's voice from down the stairs, just as Gaius said, "Sire, I really must protest…"

" **Mer _lin_!**" Arthur boomed again, and Gwaine's eyes shot wide open. Oh, hell. "Do explain why there's a dragon in my castle."

"Da, we have company," Aithusa said with considerable excitement as Merlin threw open the garret door and stormed downstairs.

"She lives here," Merlin said, and then the yelling started.

Gwaine blearily admitted defeat in his battle for another hour's slumber and began to look for his own abandoned trousers. Why were they up on the ceiling?... oh, right, perils of being a warlock's fated consort. He stole a pair of Merlin's trousers instead, a snug fit but they'd do. Meanwhile, from downstairs came the sound of, blah, blah, treason, betrayal, magic is evil, blah… Arthur was so predictable sometimes. Gwaine yawned as he descended the rickety little staircase to the main level of Gaius's chamber.

"And you! What do you have to say for yourself as a knight of Camelot?"

Gwaine blinked and brushed Arthur's hand out of his face. "If you think I'm going to side with you against my own daughter, sire, you're dead wrong."

"Your what?" Arthur threw his hands up. "Has the whole world gone mad?"

"Sire, if you would please return to your rooms, I will send Merlin by to attend you directly," Gaius said in a firm voice.

"If I'd stayed in my rooms, I'd never have known there's a dragon in my castle!"

"There was a dragon down in the dungeons for twenty years," Merlin mumbled. "I don't see why this one's such a problem."

"What?!"

"Da," Aithusa said, and then she headbutted Gwaine. Gwaine took the hint and started rubbing at the soft scales behind her ears as she pressed her forehead into his chest.

"What are you doing?" Arthur cried. "That's a dragon, you idiot! A vicious monster that will kill us all given half a chance!"

"You've woken us all, upset my fated consort, and insulted our daughter," Gwaine said, quite reasonably. "Please go away so that we can pretend this entire incident never happened."

"Daaaaaaa," Aithusa crooned.

Arthur spun on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him.

"Well," Merlin said. "That was awkward."

Gaius gave out a great sigh.

"What are the chances he'll actually pretend this never happened," Gwaine asked the room at large as he sat down at the one table that didn't have beakers all over it.

"Not good," Aithusa said. She laid her ears back and settled her head on his lap, an implicit demand for more headrubs.

"That's what I was afraid of." And as Merlin and Gaius went through their usual morning routine, albeit with less bickering than usual, Gwaine began to plan.

* * *

"He says there are to be no dragons in Camelot," Merlin said glumly as he returned after dressing His Prattish Majesty for court for the day. "Also you're to report to him as soon as court is over."

"Right, I can surrender my armor and cloak then."

Merlin halted in his tracks. "What? Why?"

Gwaine lifted an eyebrow. "Aithusa's not allowed to stay, so why should I? Why should you, for that matter?"

"But I'm supposed to be in Camelot," Merlin said. "There's a prophecy."

"Oh?" This was the first Gwaine had heard of it. "What does it say? 'Wanted: Self sacrificing warlock to protect prattish king in charge of kingdom where even the most benign magic is punishable by death'?"

Merlin's face twisted. "No, not that. I'm… I'm not exactly sure what it says. Kilgharrah told me that Arthur's the once and future king, and it's my destiny to stay by his side and serve him. We're two sides of the same coin, you know."

Yes, and Merlin was the side that always got to have his face mashed into the table while Arthur was the shiny side glittering in the light. Gwaine shrugged. "If he's once and future, that means you'll have plenty of time to make up with him later. Besides, aren't the dragons your kin and your responsibility?"

Merlin sighed. "Yeah."

"Does anyone else know this prophecy? Someone who'd be willing to tell you the exact wording?" Preferably someone Merlin _hadn't_ threatened to make boots out of.

"Hmm," Merlin said. "I'll think about it."

"Do. Oh, and one more question." Gwaine waited until Merlin had turned and was paying full attention, and then – "How trustworthy is Kilgharrah? Has he ever lied to you?"

Merlin opened his mouth and closed it again. "Um. Yes?"

"Yes, he's trustworthy, or yes, he's lied?"

"Both?"

"I see." Gwaine nodded slowly.

Merlin squinted at Gwaine. "Don't give me that face."

"What face?"

"That one. You know. The 'what do you mean someone greased the undersides of everyone's saddles, I don't know anything about it' face."

Gwaine laughed. "That was a good prank. Remember Arthur's expression? I didn't know he could turn purple. Hmm…" He grinned as a stray thought struck him.

"Don't prank Arthur again! I have enough problems." Merlin plucked Gaius's list of chores up off the workbench. On his way to the door, he peered behind the divider that had kept Aithusa more or less hidden until Arthur's visit that morning. "Be good, darling girl."

"Always," Aithusa purred.

As the door creaked shut and Merlin stomped down the stairs, Gwaine leisurely stretched. Time to put his armor on for his final day as a knight of Camelot.

* * *

"You're stealing my manservant?!"

Gwaine gave a heavy sigh. "If that's all he is to you, he deserves to be stolen."

Arthur's brows furrowed. "Well of course he's not just a manservant, he's…" Arthur grappled with words for a moment and finally said, as though it explained anything, "He's _Merlin_."

 _Still completely unable to express appreciation, I see._ Gwaine rolled his eyes.

"And you're both leaving me for the sake of a dragon." Arthur leaned forward, into Gwaine's space. "Why?"

"She's our daughter."

"I don't understand."

"It's very simple, Arthur," Gwaine said slowly, as if talking to a very young child. "She's a person. They all are. Dragons, sorcerers, druids, people with magic – are all still people."

"It isn't that easy," Arthur said.

"It could be." Gwaine shrugged. "Anyway, that's between you and your people, and since Aithusa's not one of them, neither am I." He unbuckled his cloak and laid it across Arthur's desk.

Arthur held his hand up as Gwaine began to unbuckle his sword belt. "Just the cloak. You'll need the armor."

Armor was the difference between a knight and a vagrant with a sword. Gwaine smiled and bowed. "Thank you, sire."

"Take care of yourself out there," Arthur muttered. "And Merlin too."

"Of course I will," Gwaine said. "Not that Merlin needs the help."

"I wouldn't let him go if you weren't there to protect him. _You_ know how hopeless he is."

Gwaine laughed. "Whatever you say."

"He is!" Arthur crossed his arms.

"I think Merlin might be the strongest man I've ever met, actually," Gwaine said. "But, no matter. We'll be out of the castle by morning, sire. No more dragons in Camelot."

"Good," Arthur said, but he had a puzzled look on his face as Gwaine left.

* * *

"So, which way?" Gwaine asked as they rode out of town late that night, Aithusa trotting along at their side. Merlin's eyes sparked with a golden glow every so often as he distracted any guards that might be looking their way.

Merlin glared at him. "What do you mean, 'which way'? This was your idea!"

"Fish?" Aithusa's voice was full of hope.

"Sure, why not." Gwaine nudged his courser along with his heel. "Better be somewhere with lots of water, then. Somewhere big enough and remote enough that no one will mind us moving in." He leaned over towards Merlin. "Got any ideas?" Gwaine didn't mind living in a cave, persay, but if there were better options he'd take them.

Merlin licked his lips; it was a pity they were riding separate horses, because he looked extremely kissable. "Um… Actually. Actually, I do. There's the Fisher King's castle in the Perilous Lands, for one."

Gwaine laughed. "Pheasants for neighbors?"

"It'd be easier to handle the wyverns when I can use magic freely."

"Fish," Aithusa said with emphasis.

"Not a lot of fish in the Perilous Lands, love," Gwaine told her. "It's better than a cave, at least."

"Or there's always the Isle of the Blessed," Merlin continued.

"Oh, that's smart. Of course an island will have fish."

"Yes!" Aithusa flapped her wings. "I want fish!"

"That's one vote for the Isle." Gwaine tilted his head. His only experience with the place had been when Lancelot died. "Are we going to have a death goddess as our neighbor, then?"

"No, that's just where Morgana cast the spell." Merlin shrugged. "The Cailleach is everywhere, but only when she's needed."

"Make that two votes for the Isle, then." Defensible, no close neighbors, lots of fish and room for Aithusa to fly around, and while the castle was a ruin, that was easy enough to fix between a powerful warlock and a little elbow grease.

"Fiiiiiiiish," Aithusa said, and then she leapt into the air and circled high above their heads, a white blotch glowing bright in the moonlight.

"Aithusa!" Merlin chided, but Gwaine could see the corners of his lips tilt up.

* * *

As it happened, the Isle of the Blessed was a _lovely_ place to raise a large, scaly child who loved to swim and fly and eat fish.


End file.
